Natha Bella

Bella's 4th Bday Party Invitation

2010-12-27T17:31:00.001-08:00

The preparations are on their way. Her birthday is 6 months away but time flies and I rather start working and preparing early :) Here's her

Princess Pixies Birthday

Personalize unique party invitations at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Funny Sayings...

2010-12-13T06:18:00.000-08:00

We've decided to start a list of all the funny sayings Bella comes up with :) So, here's a start..

"I'm not being cute, I'm just a princess"

"Tying doesn't matter, only winning" - while competing to see who can finish breakfast first.

Bella: "My hand is dead"
Me: "Bella, where did you learn that?"
Bella: "It's ok Mommy.. I'm just pretending it is dead like a bug"

On a side note, our trip to Hawaii was awesome and Bella had a wonderful time going to the beach every day!! I'll post some pictures later :)

Christmas time!

2010-11-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

I know, I know.. it's only early November.. But since I helped put the Christmas tree up at Archiver's (where I work) and decorate the store, I convinced Billy that we should put our Christmas tree and decorations up at our house too :) Time is surely flying and Christmas will be here before you know it! So Friday night with Bella's help we put our Christmas tree up only to find out all the ornaments and decorations are at my parents house. A little disappointing but we still got to listen to awesome Christmas music and over the weekend Billy got all the boxes out of the attic and I promised Bella we would decorate tonight!

So, besides working on the Christmas tree, the decorations and listening to Christmas music, I've also started working on Christmas cards. I'm hoping that while we are in Hawaii we can do a family photo shoot to include in our cards. Sending and receiving cards for Christmas is one of my favorite things. It's hard to keep up with all our family and friends during the year - from California to Pennsylvania to Florida and everything in between. But it seems that Christmas always reminds us what is most important and I love seeing pictures and reading what our friends have been up to for the past year.

While I usually send some handmade Christmas cards to family and friends, I've also ordered cards from Shutterfly. And this year they have over 700 different designs! I particularly love this Christmas card because you can include several pictures and pink and brown are my favorite colors! :) I've actually been printing pictures with them since Billy and I got married 8 years ago and love their products and customer service. I've also ordered several of their photobooks for us and as presents for our parents. Like this album I did for Isabella: ABC of Animals or this other one I did of our summer: Summer 2009. One thing I haven't done is calendars but I've seen some beautiful ideas so I might have to look into that as well :)

Well, lastly, be sure to check out this link for an awesome promotion by Shutterfly! You can receive 50 free greeting cards! Can't beat that! :)

I'm still alive!!

2010-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

WOW! It's been a while.. just busy with work, home, Bella, church, etc etc.. I think the last time I posted I hadn't start working at Archivers. So, yes, I work at Archivers and it's awesome!! Especially the part where I get an employee discount on all my favorite scrapbooking products!! :) I know, I'm special :) And I'm still scrapbooking of course and while I'm way behind on my pictures (I just finished July 2009 pictures) I love making pages and relieving the moment while looking at the pictures.

Bella turned 3 in June and we had an awesome party at the church for her. We even got 2 bouncy houses for the price of 1! She also started going to Pre-school full time at Tiny Tigers. She really loves it and has so many good friends at school and church. She's so smart and funny! This semester, she started attending a Ballet/Tap Dance class at the YMCA and she looks so adorable in her little ballet outfit. She's continuing her Gymnastics class and I think she likes it better too - maybe because she's really good at it!

Well, I better leave some stuff to tell for a later post. Hopefully not a 8-month-later post ;)

Here's Bella ready for her 1st day of school :)

WHO DAT?

2010-02-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Saints won the Super Bowl for the first time in the franchise history! 31-17 agains the Colts. Drew Bress won MVP! And Billy's so excited beyond words! :) We can't wait til next weekend when we can celebrate with his family in Louisiana! :) Bella was so cute and I can't believe she stayed up the whole game. She was wearing her Saints uniform and would say "Go Saints" every time we told her to :) Well, after the game was over we gave her a bath and she finally fell asleep at 9:45 pm! :O Tomorrow will be interesting, to say the least! LOL

GEAUX SAINTS!!!!

32 months!!

2010-02-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Wow.. it's been almost 3 weeks.. I was writing an update to a friend and reminded me I hadn't posted here in a while.. So, here's a little update from us :)

We are doing good. Getting over some cold/sinus thing that got Billy and I this week. But otherwise doing good. We are still very sad about Mocha, especially because Bella still includes her in our prayers when she mentions all our family - nana, papi, tio, grandpa, grandma, daddy, mommy AND Mocha :( We are going to Louisiana next weekend and I'm not sure how we are going to tell Bella that Mocha died :'(

Bella's doing good. She turned 32 months yesterday!! That's 2 yrs and 8 months!! She's enjoying her gymnastics class and loving "school".. She goes to daycare at the church's school (K-12) and part of the day she's with the pre-K kids. She loves it! She's learned so much too! And she loves to sing - even if she doesn't know the song's lyrics! Her gymnastics coach is super impressed with her. She's the best in her class and we are hoping she can go up to the next level even before she turns 3 (which is the rule).

The "terrible twos" are going ok.. not too terrible, if I say so myself. She went through a "NO" face but for the most part she's out of it. Now that she can talk it's so much easier.. even if sometimes she talks back! :O LOL.. But we just gotta keep correcting her and she learns quickly :) It's like when she started walking and everyone makes you panic because (supposedly) it's going to be worst.. but for us it was great! She became more independent and if she wanted a toy she'd just walk and grab it! Now, if she wants something, she speaks. And I don't let her whine (too much)... although she still does it sometimes.. But being with other kids in school (some of them older than her) has helped her to be more aware of boundaries, sharing, social cues, being a "big girl", etc.. It's great!

She did learn to climb down from her crib (which I think I posted) so that's been a bit challenging.. Before she'd wake up and stay in her crib playing with her stuffed animals.. now she climbs down, opens her door, closes her door, and comes to our room and gets *this-close-to-our-faces* and freaks us out!! LOL It's cute but sometimes it really scares us..

But all in all, she's adorable and bossy.. LOL.. she bosses around her stuffed animals and even some of the kids at school :O The teacher said it's a "helpful" bossiness, which I'm sure it's just as bad. And she's too smart for her own good! She sure is a handful!! But then she loves to cuddle and kiss you and it makes you forget you wanted to strangle her a minute ago.. LOL

As for myself, I've been making cards and selling them. I'm almost done with my 2008 pictures and I'm hoping to start working again. I'll know for sure on Monday! So, I'll post some news then :)

Sunday report

2010-01-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

We had a good day. Watched a movie this morning with Bella (The Incredibles) but I think most of it went over her head.. LOL

Then we watched some football and had a very relaxing afternoon. Billy was *very* happy after last night's game when the Saints won 45-14 against the Cardinals.

And while he was watching the game I went to Archivers and scrapbooked for 6 hrs :) These are the layouts I finished... I might add a few extra embellishments but I'm so glad I'm almost done with my 2008 pictures!! :)

Our baby Mocha...

2010-01-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

Mocha died Thursday night at Billy's mom farm. It seems she got pneumonia and went downhill really fast. For the last month or so, Bella has been praying and she always prayed for Mocha, along with her grandparents, uncle, Mommy and Daddy and everyone else. She was indeed part of our family and we are really sad. But I have faith that we'll see her again! There's gotta be a special place in heaven for our sweet pets!

She was such a good dog and she loved us so much, especially Billy and of course Bella. We were so fortunate to have her for almost 5 years in our family and we are going to miss her so much. She'd have turned 5 on January 25. And all we have now are the memories we shared together...

Thank you all for loving her and taking care of her one time or another. And thank you to everyone that emailed us or posted your condolences.

These are 2 layouts I did 2 days before she died.

Crib Climber

2010-01-03T14:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday while we were at church, Bella started climbing up and down the cribs at the mother's room. My mom thought it was so funny and started taking pictures of her... In addition, she hasn't taken a nap in 4 days!! Not a good combination...

Fast forward to today. She had lunch and then both Billy and I tried to put her down for her nap. But she refused to! So we just left her in the crib and after crying for a little bit, she started talking and playing with her stuffed animals. Then, while Billy and I were having lunch here comes little Isabella walking out of her room with her blanket... *sigh* I think this definetely marks the end of "babyhood"...

Maybe once she goes back to "school" and her routine she'll start napping again. One can only hope!! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2010-01-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo today with Papi, Nana and Grandpa Bill. Bella loved it! She loves seeing all the animals and learning about new ones. It was a free day at the zoo and so it was literally a "zoo"!! It was packed and between our stroller and my mom's wheelchair it was quite difficult to walk around. But we managed..

Yesterday I worked all day until about 6:30 pm. So, when I got off work I went home and finish getting dinner ready for our family. Billy's dad drove from Lousiana to visit us and my parents and brother came as well. We had a nice dinner and then decided to play Scrabble. We have a Deluxe edition but hardly ever play.. So, last night we had fun playing a Bilingual version of Scrabble (for my dad's sake mostly) and laughed so hard at some of the words :) We only played 1 round and I won with 126 points!! :) GO ME!! After the game, we watched a movie and paused at 11:55 to watch the ball drop at NYC. We went to bed at almost 1 am but miracles of miracles, Bella slept in until about 8:30 am!!! I was soooo grateful she didn't wake up at like 6 am like she sometimes does..

So, I hope and pray that God will continue blessing us with a wonderful new year full of health and happiness and love and peace and every blessing that we ask of Him. I'm not doing a list with all my "new year resolutions." I just want to continue enjoying our time in Houston, continue to exercise regularly, and continue to set aside time to scrapbook and stamp and create crafty things :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-12-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

We had such a good time last night and this morning with my parents and my brother. We had dinner with them - Colombian tamales, green bean casserole, arepas and blueberry grape sparkling juice. We then opened presents and Bella had such a great time opening everyone's presents. All in all, she got over 40 presents!!! :O Dont panic.. most of them were $1-$2 little presents but she did get a Crayola easel and 2 cute playhouses plus lots of accessories.

Anyways, I'll have to post some pictures later..

Paci-free!

2009-12-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night was Bella's 1st time sleeping pacifier-free! She did so good! Billy told her she was a big girl now and didn't need a paci. She then threw the pacifier in the trash can. At night, she got her blanket and her milk. When she asked for the paci we reminded her that she was a big girl and that she had thrown the paci away because "big girls don't need pacis." And that was it! She went to sleep and slept through the night. She has been a little sick (runny nose and cough). But I really thought she was going to cry all night for the pacifier!! I'm sooo glad she didnt!

Last night when she asked for the pacifier we just reminded her again and she said "Oooh ok." And just repeated what we had told her "I'm a big girl and I don't need a paci." LOL She's so smart!! :) We'll see how she does tomorrow at my parents house. Billy and I are going to a church member's home to watch the Saints game and Bella's sleeping at Nana and Papi's house :)

Gingerbread House!

2009-12-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

I cant believe how fast December has gone by.. It's already the 16th and in just a week Christmas will be here!!!

I guess starting to work at Michaels has made my weeks and days go by a lot faster. My feet and legs and shoulders and everything else in my body hurts... but I like the people I work with and it gives me something to do.

I've also been Christmas shopping and Bella might set a new record with all the gifts she has under the tree :) But a lot of them are "small" gifts and some I separated into smaller gifts so she had a LOT of wrapping paper to tear through Christmas morning :) She'll have a blast!!

We also made our 1st gingerbread house yesterday. It turned out ok and I assured you, it looks a LOT better in the picture than it does in person! LOL But Bella had so much fun decorating it and eating the candy decorations, it was awesome!! :)

GO SAINTS!!

2009-12-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

I hope you are not tired of pictures because I took the cutest pictures of Bella today in her new Saints Cheerleader outfit :)

This is our Christmas tree

The garland on top of the fireplace with the stockings (I'm still looking for 1 more stocking holder)

Bella's Little People nativity set and her mini Christmas tree

A wreath I did last year

Pictures :)

2009-12-05T21:32:00.001-08:00

Billy and Bella at the New Orleans Zoo :)

A shot of beautiful downtown Houston yesterday while I was driving to the airport to pick up Billy

Our car this morning before going to church.. all frozen up :(

My little chiqui being silly :)

Bella and Tio David.. she loves her tio :)

Snow Day!

2009-12-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

I've been missing for a while.. we went away for Thanksgiving week to Billy's mom's house and this week I started working at Michaels while Billy was out of town. We had a good week at mom's house and Bella *loved* spending time with Grandma, Grandpa De, Grandpa Bill, Aunt Kathy Jo (aka KK), uncle DeDe, uncle Dan and cousin Danielle. And of course she loved feeding the baby cows and seeing all the animals.

We had a great family dinner with lots of yummy food on Thanksgiving day! And on Friday, we went to the New Orleans Zoo (even though I was dying to go shopping) but had so much fun seeing all the animals.

My dad, brother, Bella and I drove back Saturday night and Billy stayed in Louisiana to fly with his family to Maryland for KJ's surgery last Monday. Praise the Lord the surgery went well and she's recovering nicely. A big scar and lots of pain meds, but they are hoping to fly back home early next week. Billy flew back today in the middle of a "snow storm," according to Texans... ;) I guess having lived in Michigan thought me that unless it's a blizzard (and even then) live goes on...

We survived the snow and by that I mean, I survived driving around the idiots that don't know how to drive in this weather. Although I gotta say, we'd call this a *dusting* in Michigan.. we had just a very thin layer of the white stuff.. The bad news, Bella's school/daycare closed and so I had to call grandpa to the rescue because I had to work from 12-3 AND pick up Billy from the airport. Anyways, everything went well and besides my soar legs and shoulders, I'm happy!

Up early

2009-11-22T04:28:00.000-08:00

Bella got sick Friday night - high fever, coughing, runny nose... ARRRRGGGGGGG... I hate when she's sick! Yesterday we stayed home from church and I don't think we are leaving today for Billy's mom's house.. maybe tomorrow.. can't deal with a sick baby at someone else's house..

Anyways, she's up and so I'm up.. sorta.. lol.. *yawn*

And while I'm up what better thing than to post a picture or 2 of my little girl :)

We went for a walk with my parents and Bella rode her 4-wheeler. She pushed the "go" button all the way there and half way back. It was by far the longest she'd "driven" her little car.

Here's Bella at her Music class at the YMCA. She loves playing with all the instruments and helping the teacher put stuff away. She's *so* organized!! I wonder why... :)

She *loves* going to the park! Nothing much else to say :)
And last, but not least, Bella riding her first bike. It's really a tricicle but she absolutely loves it nonetheless! It was raining, so she went up and down the hall a hundred times!! Even after she fell and we put ice on her head (for 5 seconds) she said she wanted to go out and ride the bike again! LOL Funny girl!

Vote for Bella! :)

2009-11-20T07:10:00.001-08:00

Vote for me in this contest!

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News, updates and announcements

2009-11-19T21:49:00.001-08:00

Gosh! it's been 10 days since I last posted. I was sick for 2 weeks so that's partly why I've been out of sight.. Billy got sick too and Bella has been on the fence.

We are getting ready to go over to Billy's mom's house for Thanksgiving week and Bella is so excited to see the cows and grandma, of course! :) We are going to spend the whole week there and I cant wait to eat some yummy turkey and everything else! Please keep KJ (Billy's sister) in your prayers. She'll be having brain surgery on Nov. 30th to remove a tumor. Billy will be going up to Maryland with her for the surgery, so pray for me that I'll be ok by myself with Bella :)

Also, I got a job!! :) I'll be working part time at Michaels. It's seasonal and I'm hoping I can get the "real" job I applied for at the City of Houston's Emergency Management office.

And last but not least, is anybody interested in buying one (or more) Holy Bears? Bella's school is doing a fundraisers and they are only $10/each and SUPER CUTE!! You can see all the cute bears at www.holybears.net and email me with your order or post a comment here. Thanks!

Feeling sick

2009-11-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

I hate being sick. And I hate when Billy and Bella get sick. It's just miserable and not fun at all.. I've been up since 3:30 coughing and feeling yiaky.. well, I've been coughing and feeling yiaky for a week now. That's partly why I decided to go to the ER at 5 am! My throat felt like it was burning when I woke up and I didnt know if perhaps it was strep or something worst.. BUT, apparently all I have is allergies and got 3 prescriptions for some antibiotics, steroids and allergy meds. I hope to start feeling better soon. I'm so sick and tired of coughing and feeling like crap :( Plus I've been drinking TONS of water and I go to the bathroom every 10 minutes..

I'm just glad Bella stayed with my parents last night so Billy and I could rest - even if I woke up at 3 in the morning!

Like Father, Like Daughter...

2009-11-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

They love being silly. They love making funny faces. They love each other to pieces!! They just stood there in front of the mirror in Bella's bathroom and started imitating each other. It's just too cute and funny to see them play and enjoy each other.

Halloween Pictures

2009-11-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Bella was a Panda Bear in the morning and a Butterfly at night :) The Panda outfit is actually her church clothes but I figured since it was Halloween I'd dress her up in the Panda line from Gymboree. And then at night, our church had a fall festival program for the kids. And she actually wore the same costume she wore for her birthday in June.

ABC Animal Book

2009-10-28T22:19:00.001-07:00

Since I got pregnant with Bella I've been working on lists of ABC albums for her. Animals, Food, Things/Toys, Family, etc, etc..

Well, since I won to host the Shutterfly House Party next weekend and I got a free 7x9 album, I figured I'd do an ABC album for Bella (finally!) :)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Day trip to Kemah

2009-10-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today. It was Billy's off weekend so we drove to Kemah and spent the day there. Bella had a blast at the boardwalk and all the kiddie rides. We got her an all-day pass and she used every penny of it! :) Carousel, airplanes, train ride, and a mini merry-go-round. She loved it all!! We had great food at Landry's too. We sat outside overlooking the bay and seeing all the boats coming in and out of the pier. The weather was just perfect! Sunny with a cool breeze and in the 70s. What a beautiful day to spend as a family!

Here are some pictures:

First Major Injury

2009-10-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Bella had a brutal accident today. While we were watching a show at the Renaissance Festival this morning, we were sitting on some cement benches and she was walking/jumping/playing on them. Well, somehow she fell and cracked her head. It was about 1/2 centimeter wide but just the blood freaked me out! Can't believe I actually did a year of medicine :O I think it was just seeing my OWN child's blood.. anyways, she's ok now. Bled quite a bit and cried a lot. She also said her head hurt :( Poor baby.. We cleaned the cut, gave her some Tylenol for the pain and put some neosporin in the wound. After a good nap, she went back to her old self - singing, dancing, hoping and being wild crazy!

Family in town

2009-10-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

My uncle (and godfather) Enrique flew to Houston with his wife last night to visit my parents and us. We havent seen them since Billy and I went to Colombia on December 2005. This morning while I was at a doctor's appointment they came by the apartment to see Bella. She sang for them and counted to 10 in Spanish AND English. Smarty pants girl! :) They were quite impressed! I've been trying to teach Bella more Spanish, at least talk to her a few things each day in Spanish. I know it's important for her to learn while she's still young. It's just hard.. Especially since Billy doesn't speak much of it either.

But my mom has been singing to her "Jesuscito de mi vida" (Jesus of my life) every time she can and Bella *loves* singing it and doing the hand motions :) Here are the lyrics. Just imagine a 2 year-old trying to say this and do hand gestures. It's too cute!! I'll have to film it soon and post it.

Jesuscito de mi vida
Fuiste nino como yo
Y por eso te quiero tanto
Que te doy mi corazon
Tomalo, tomalo
Tuyo es, mio no
Tomalo, tomalo
Tuyo es, mio no

Layouts shower...

2009-10-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

Well, since it's been raining on and off for days here in Houston, it seems appropriate to title this post "Layouts shower" :) Most of them are just day to day pictures. Bella playing, drawing, or being goofy..

Scrapping at Archiver's

2009-10-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

I took today's afternoon as a "me" day and went scrapping at Archiver's. One of the things I love about living in Houston is all the scrapping stores there are - Hobby Lobby, Archiver's, Lone Star Scrapbooking, Michaels, Jo-Ann, among others that I haven't even been to!

So, here are some more layouts :)

These are some pictures of when my Pea friend Sharon came to visit Bella and I with her son and niece.
Pictures of my little girlBella and Mocha - our 2 little princesses :)A little photo shoot of Bella one Sabbath afternoon in the backyard of one of our church members. Her hair was just starting to grow and you could see little wings (not quite curls). Plus her big plumpy cheeks... Just too cute! :)
Enjoy! I'll post 5 more tomorrow :)

More layouts to share

2009-10-10T17:16:00.001-07:00

Here are some more layouts I've done lately even though the pictures are from a YEAR ago!... yiaks.. but at least I'm scrapping them, right? Enjoy! :)

More scrapping

2009-10-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some layouts with pictures from last summer.

Here's Bella with her uncle David. He gave her an Exxon share for her 1st birthday :)

Bella and Daddy playing in the water and eating bunuelos (a typical food from Colombia).

We went to Lake Conroe with the whole family and had a blast!

The whole family. We went to the Woodlands Mall and Bella rode on the carousel.

Bella playing with a monkey and posing for my parents.

Catching up on my scrapbooks..

2009-10-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to scrap more since I have a room-full of stuff and I might as well use it, right?! :) Plus I have hundreds of pictures sitting on my desk waiting patiently to be scrapped.. I'm working in chronological order on Bella's pictures and I'm just finished July 2008 pictures :O

So, here are some of the layouts I've done lately. This is a album kit from BoBunny. I finished it at the last Sunday Crop I went at Archiver's and just this week added some pictures from Bella's first time at the beach in Santa Cruz, CA. If you click on the pictures you can see them bigger. Enjoy! :)

It has 5 more pages that need pictures so I'll add those later.

Welcome back!

2009-10-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

3 and a half months later I've resurrected to the blog life. Again! Before that I was "dead" for 2 months... gosh it's hard to keep up this thing!

In any case, since my last few posts, we moved to Houston after Billy got a job as the associate pastor of the West Houston SDA Church. And we LOVE it! The big city, the shopping, the places to go and see and visit, the beaches close by, and of course having my parents and my brother just 15 minutes down the road :) Billy's loving his new church and being the associate pastor of ONE church. It's funny how people asks us, almost regretfully, how we like it. People from Merced would make comments about how hot it would be in Houston while we were having temperatures of over 100'F there! Can you say *reality check*!!

But see.. Billy grew up in Biloxi, MS which is hot AND humid. Just like here. I grew up in Barrancabermeja (Colombia) which is hot AND humid. Just like here. Yeah I had AC 99% of the time. But so do we here. AC at home. AC in the car. AC in the stores. You have AC everywhere! Sure you sweat a little more while you walk from the house to the car or from the car to the store, but so what?! It's not like I'm gonna melt... most of the time anyways... LOL

IMHO, California (most of it at least) is over-rated. Too expensive. Economically depressed. Cold water at the beach. No offense to all my dear friends who still live there. But after living in 4 states in 8 years, I've come to the conclusion that the 'greatness' of a place is defined mostly by the people you have around you and how much it suits your priorities.

For example, Berrien Springs. By far, the smallest and coldest place I've ever lived: 3 gas stations, 2 red lights, 1 taco bell and a winter that lasted almost 6 months of the year! The closest city was about 30 minutes drive and not the greatest shopping. 45-minute drive to find a decent restaurant and good shopping. But we had a small group every week in our house or someone else's house and parties almost every weekend. Our church was awesome. School was great. And we made life-long friends (for the most part). Regardless of how much snow was on the ground or how busy we were with school, we could call a few people, order some pizza and play some board games (canasta being our favorite ;). My point is, the people that you have around you are more important than the great weather or location or other things that may seem like great stuff to others.

And so, we are loving living in Houston!! Billy loves his church and job. Bella loves seeing her grandparents every week and I love the city and all there's to do and see - zoo, aquarium, museums, YMCA, beach, malls, scrapbook stores... the list is endless! :)

PD. To all my readers (B, mom, and the occasional random stranger) I promise I'll do better with my posting. Maybe once a week is a good goal. We shall see... :)

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Wishing my wonderful husband, my dad, grandfathers and fathers in law a happy day! :)

Bad, bad blogger!

2009-06-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

WOW! It's been over a month since I last posted here. And so many things have happened since!

Bella turned 2! Yes, yes. My little baby girl is growing up and we love her more and more every day (despite the whining from time to time and the "no-no-no" little tantrums...). She's talking up a storm and learns new words every day. She still loves Little Einsteins and her favorite character is Annie. A few days ago we watched "The Jungle Book 2" and she loved it! I think it's all the animals and the songs and dancing.

We took a family vacation to go visit my parents, my brother and Billy's parents. We actually only saw my dad because my mom had to stay in Colombia to have foot surgery. My brother had to leave on a business trip 3 days after we got to Houston. But we had fun! We went to the zoo and the aquarium. And I dont think I have to explain how much Bella LOVED them!!! And I took about 500 pictures! :O We also went to the YMCA several times and Bella enjoyed the pool *very* much! :)

We then drove to Louisiana and stayed at Billy's mom. We drove at night to allow Bella to sleep but it didn't quite work as planned. Nonetheless we had fun and Bella loved seeing all the cows and horses and chickens and other animals at the farm. She even fed a baby calf some milk with a bottle - "I wanna give the nu-nu to the moo-moo." Her words, not mine! Billy officiated his cousin's wedding on Saturday and Bella got to dance with KJ (Billy's sister) at the reception. She also went to bed *really* late! We had Bella's birthday party on Sunday after church and she had lots of fun at the pool. Billy was sick half of the trip with random stuff. Bella got sick a couple of days but nothing serious.

Scrapbooking related... I met 2 friends from 2Peas. I had already met Debbie, but this time I got to meet I got my shopping fix at Hobby Lobby and Archivers :) Those 2 places ROCK! I've been working hard on Bella's album. Trying not to get behind even though I'm still working on her 1st birthday pictures! LOL LOL LOL

Mother's Day Present

2009-05-13T23:44:00.000-07:00

I got a beautiful grill for Mother's day! Cant wait to start using it!!

Ten ways to be a more light-hearted parent

2009-04-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

A friend sent me this article and it's amazing! Mental note: read and practice :)

One of my Twelve Commandments is "Lighten up," and I have a lot of resolutions aimed at trying to be a more light-hearted parent: less nagging, more laughing. We all want a peaceful, cheerful, even joyous, atmosphere at home -- but we can't nag and yell our way to get there. Here are some strategies that help me:

1. At least once a day, make each child helpless with laughter.

2. Sing in the morning. It's hard both to sing and to maintain a grouchy mood, and it sets a happy tone for everyone--particularly in my case, because I'm tone deaf and my audience finds my singing a source of great hilarity.

3. Get enough sleep yourself. It's so tempting to stay up late, to enjoy the peace and quiet. But morning comes fast. Along the same lines...

4. Wake up before your kids. We were so rushed in the morning that I started getting up half an hour earlier than my children. That means I can get myself organized, check my email, post to Slate, and get my bag packed before they get up. It's tough to wake up earlier, but it has made a huge difference in the quality of our mornings.

5. I've been researching the hedonic treadmill: people quickly adapt to new pleasures or luxuries, so it takes a new pleasure to give them a jolt of gratification. As a result, I've cut back on treats and impulse buys for my kids. The ice-cream sandwich or the Polly Pockets set won't be an exciting treat if it isn't rare.

6. Most messages to kids are negative: "stop," "don't," "no." So I try to cast my answers as "yes." "Yes, we'll go as soon as you've finished eating," not "We're not leaving until you've finished eating." It's not easy to remember to do this, but I'm trying.

7. Look for little ways to celebrate. I haven't been doing holiday breakfasts long, but they're a huge source of happiness. They're quick, fun, and everyone gets a big kick out of them.

8. Repetition works. A friend told me he was yelling at his kids too much, so he distilled all rules of behavior into four key phrases: "keep your hands to yourself"; "answer the first time you're asked"; "ask first"; and "stay with us" (his kids tended to bolt). You can also use the school mantras: "Sit square in your chair;" "accidents will happen," "you get what you get, and you don't get upset" (i.e., when cupcakes are handed out, you don't keep trying to switch).

9. Say "no" only when it really matters. Wear a bright red shirt with bright orange shorts? Sure. Put water in the toy tea set? Okay. Sleep with your head at the foot of the bed? Fine. Samuel Johnson said, "All severity that does not tend to increase good, or prevent evil, is idle."

10. When I find myself thinking, "Yippee, soon we won't have to deal with a stroller," I remind myself how fleeting this is. All too soon the age of Cheerios and the Tooth Fairy will be over. The days are long, but the years are short.

Have you found any good strategies to cut back on the shouting and to add moments of laughing, singing, and saying "yes"?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

2009-04-26T00:02:00.001-07:00

And I'm now 28...

Before turning 28! :O

2009-04-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

What could I say before the clock strikes midnight?... I dont have many words of wisdom in my last minutes of being 27. This last year has brought good and not-so-good things. One of the best things was Bella started sleeping through the night. Seems vain and superfluous. But try going without consistent sleep for 13 months while tending to a colicky baby who screams nonstop and you will understand me!
I also started attending MOPS at Yosemite Church and have enjoyed it very much! Even though it's only twice a month, it gives me some free time to socialize with other moms and form friendships. I've even been asked to serve as a table leader for next year's MOPS!
I also started working as the church and school secretary here in Merced. It's only 12 hrs a week but it helps me to get out of the house and be somewhat productive!
Finally, one of my most precious accomplishments has been working on Bella's scrapbook albums. I've already caught up to May of 2008 and have filled THREE albums!! :) LOL I'm sure Billy will freak out once he reads this and ask me *where* I plan on keeping all these albums of mine :) I'm sure one day, somebody, somewhere, somehow, someone will appreciate them! Hopefully....
Anyways, it's 11:55 pm and I better get my beauty sleep. It's just not the same once you turn 21... (plus 7) :) LOL So to all, good night. And to me, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Bella's 22 months!!!

2009-04-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

She's growing like a weed and getting cuter and cuter. She's talking so much and imitating everything we say and do. It's really funny but scary too!

Yosemite adventures

2009-04-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are back!! It was a good trip. We drove to Mariposa Saturday morning, Billy preached and then we drove to Camp Wawona (Yosemite). We had originally reserved a big house for the 3 families (us, Sabaos, and Reyes), but they messed up and didn't realize the house had already been reserved. So, they gave us 3 A-frame houses for FREE!! :) It actually worked out better because Bella's such a light sleeper and I dont think she (or us) would have been able to get any rest with 6 adults and 6 more kids running around...

We went walking Saturday afternoon and then attemped to do some rock climbing (on a fake wall). Yamila and I didnt make it past half way up... sad, I know! Especially since all the guys and kids went up and down at least 2 or 3 times. I tried. Seriously. It was freaking hard!!

Then on Sunday, after breakfast, we went hiking. I don't *totally* hate the outdoors but I much much rather go to a restaurant, watch a movie, or go to Starbucks and chat. That or scrapbook! :) I do hate hiking and I'm grateful that Bella is a great excuse for limiting those to "strolls in the park with shade and flat terrain". 99.99% of the time at least. Well, this time was the 0.01% and they dragged me along. I was glad the Reyes had a baby younger than Bella, which made hiking with a stroller not such a terrible thing. LOL

Then, on our way back from the hike, Billy saw a snake. A really small one, but a snake nonetheless. My idea of animals and nature is going to the zoo or aquarium. All the camping I needed/wanted to do, I did it when I was 10-15 while in Pathfinders (sorta like Boys' Scouts). And I refuse going to Campmeeting unless we have an RV. I like having a shower, a toilet, warm water, my pillow and a comfy bed.

We do love the beach and so whenever we can, we escape the valley and drive to Monterey/Carmel for some sun and sand :) That's our next trip. I need some sun and sand before I go crazy in this valley!!!

New car!!!

2009-03-22T23:02:00.001-07:00

Today we got an amazing RAK. The personnel director from the Conference had offered us a free car a few days ago and we picked it up today. A few weeks ago Billy had his annual review and he told him that it's been rough having only 1 car, especially for me with a baby and being stuck at home.. etc etc.. anyways, he talked to his wife and since they had recently inherited a car, they decided to pass the blessing to us and give us their older car. It's a Ford Explorer 1999 but it's in *great* condition and has a lot of upgrades. I'm just so thankful and I dont think it has sunk in :) lol... I just can believe it!!! :) :) Billy already took some pictures so I'll post some later.

Giveaways!!

2009-03-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Look at these cute bath capes :)
http://spatimebaby.com/

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/03/spa-time-baby-giveaway.html

First day of work

2009-03-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today I started my part-time job as the church/school secretary. The desk was a mess and between Billy and the school principal's to-do-list I could be full time, but alas they are only giving me 12 hrs a week... we'll see...

Also, another super cute giveaway - baby shoes! :)

http://www.jackandlily.com/

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/03/jack-and-lily-giveaway.html

ok, one more.. cool swimming suits

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/03/tuga-sunwear-giveaway.html

http://www.tugasunwear.com/

Doctors appointments

2009-03-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment. Among other things, I recently started having pain in my right upper abdomen. I figured it was my liver because I dont have a gallbladder anymore... The doctor ordered some blood work, which I did this morning, to figure out what's wrong..

Today, Bella had her orthopedist appointment. And we got some good news!! He said the x-rays showed her left hip had some delayed growing but he thought her bones should continue to grow normally and since she's walking fine and otherwise developing normal he didn't think we needed to do anything special - i.e. cast or special shoes. PRAISE THE LORD!!! He also said it was ok for her to go to the Toddler's gym class! Which she's absolutely loving!!!

She was 25.4 lbs and 31 in. She's growing and growing :)

Library Time

2009-03-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Bella and I went to the Merced Library for the Story Time at 10 am. It was great and Bella loved it! A lady read a few stories, the kids played instruments and sung, and at the end they each got a sheet of paper to color. Bella really enjoyed it and we are planning on going again! :)

Today, we had the MAS Talent Show at our church. Bella danced, Billy beat-boxed and I took pictures :) Those are our talents!

Bella is 21 months!!

2009-03-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

Bella turned 21 months today!! She's growing so much, learning every day, getting more and more adorable :) It's amazing how fast her second year is going. Regular sleep makes a HUGE difference! And she's been healthy the last 3 weeks. So that's awesome!! We are going next week for her orthopedics appointment but I'm trying not to stress out about it.

Bella and I went to MOPS in the morning. Then we went to the park in the afternoon and met some of the MOPS moms and kids. Bella gets really shy when she's around other kids and it takes her a little bit to warm up to them. But she really enjoys being around other people.

After the park we went to the church to organize the Beginners SS room and put together the swing. It's looking really great! We need to hang some more frames and make sure they clean it before Sabbath. Bella loved having all the riding horses all for herself :) And she was playing the piano and playing with the other stuffed animals. She also saw Flopi before going to bed and she was SO happy :) She loves Flopi so much. I hope they can be friends for a long time :)

Flip Mino HD

2009-03-01T19:18:00.001-08:00

Ryan McLean from Smarter Wealth is giving away a brand new Flip Mino HD to one lucky reader. This will be the easiest Flip Mino HD to win because barely anyone is going to enter meaning more chances that you can win.

The Flip Mino HD is the coolest gadget around. You can shoot one hour of video in HD (so you can play it on your plasma) and you can even edit your footage right on your device. This device is so small that it will fit in your pocket so you will never miss capturing a moment ever again.

To enter all you have to do is sign up for Ryan’s newsletter and post about the competition.

Check out all the details of how you can enter the Win a Flip Mino HD competition now.

isaBelt

2009-02-28T20:32:00.001-08:00

Cute name and cool belt

http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/02/isabelt-review-giveaway.html

http://www.isabelt.com/index.html

Shabby Baby Contest

2009-02-25T16:39:00.000-08:00

I found this contest while browsing other blogs and thought it would be so perfect for Isabella. In order to enter I have to post 3 pictures of Bella here on my blog and explain why she is the "Picture Princess." Choosing only 3 pictures of her is too hard, so here are four :)

Why is Isabella the Picture Princess? Well, as you can see, she is our little princess. She has bright brown eyes, the most gorgeous brown wavy hair and a spunky personality. She has a beautiful smile and she loves making cute, silly faces. I love dressing her up, especially on Sabbath when we go to church. Everybody loves seeing her and always comments on how cute she is and looks. Of course we agree and think she's absolutely adorable and gorgeous! She's our little angel, princess and baby girl and I know she'd look stunning in all the summer dresses.

I think she'd look best in the Vineyard Brown Girl's Dress - little girl and girl dresses from shabby baby.

Awesome giveaway

2009-02-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here's an awesome giveaway - an Epson printer!!!

http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/02/epson-stylus-nx400-all-in-one-review.html

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?oid=63075469

More giveaways

2009-02-22T09:57:00.000-08:00

A cool solution for NOT losing the cellphone ear piece :)
http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/02/cord-on-blue-review.html

http://acordonblue.com/index.html

Super cute sandals
http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/oka-b-shoes-that-love-you-giveaway.html

http://www.shoesthatloveyou.com/CategoriesFlush.aspx?Category=77f8fea0-82c1-4809-a564-f9ed0255afdf

Adorable shoes for kids
http://polliwalks.com/index.html

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/polliwalks-giveaway.html

More giveaways

2009-02-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/3-sweet-peas-jewelry-giveaway.html

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/bloomingbabiescom-giveaway.html

And I won a Starbucks giftcard at MOPS today!!! :) Love it!

2 Tours in a day :)

2009-02-18T13:18:00.000-08:00

At 9 am we went on a tour to Me N Eds Pizzeria with some moms from MOPS and their kids. Flopi and Facu came with Billy, Bella & I because they are on mid-winter break. It was lots of fun and each kid got to make his/her own pizza.

Then we drove to McKee and Bear Creek to see the Tour of California. We didn't have to wait too long and saw the 119 cyclists ride past us. They went by super fast, all looked the same, and we weren't even sure what Lance Armstrong looked like. LOL But when we came home we looked at the pictures and video and were able to spot him :) It was lots of fun!

Another trip to the Children's Hospital

2009-02-17T18:21:00.000-08:00

I talked to Bella's pediatrician and she got the results from the hip xray from last Friday. She said the report suggests Bella might have left hip dysplasia, meaning the bone is not well into the socket. We are being referred to an orthopedist at the Madera Children's Hospital and so we'll know more after we talk to the specialist. Keep our little one in your prayers!

Giveaways!!

2009-02-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

Awesome thermometer
http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/temporalscanner-giveaway.html

T-shirt
http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/t-shirt-monster-giveaway.html

Southwest giveaway
http://islandlife808.com/contestsawards/viva-las-vegas-giveaway/

http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/vegasbound/index.jsp

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

2009-02-14T12:05:00.000-08:00

Hope you all have a wonderful day :)

Here's my little "gift" to you. A few cool giveaways

Cool jeans
http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/pzi-jeans-giveaway.html

Cute shirts/onesies
http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/trendy-tadpole-giveaway.html

Early Valentine's day

2009-02-13T18:24:00.000-08:00

We had an early valentine's day today. Billy has to preach at both churches tomorrow so he'll be super busy morning, afternoon and evening!! We had lunch at Macaroni Grill (yum!) and went to the movies. I tried to convince him to go to the LSS but it was getting late and we had to drive back and pick up Bella. Which by the way, she had her hip x-rays this morning and it went better than I expected. Just 2 shots and she only cried a little bit :) We'll get the results next week. So, keep praying!!

Update on the reflux

2009-02-12T23:06:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor this morning and we are starting her on prevacid for the reflux. The dr said that if the meds work we can start lowering the dosage of her other meds. Hopefully the reflux med can help clear the ear infections and asthma. So, keep praying!! Also, she wants an x-ray of her hips. Apparently, when they did the xray yesterday for the Upper GI, the doctor noticed something about bone loss on her hip. Dont ask me about all the details cause I couldnt understand everything, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed as to how much Bella's sick and so many things going wrong... is there anything else bad coming??? I shouldnt even ask that cause I'm no Job, but I just want her to be healthy and happy. Not too much to ask, is it?!! In any case, we are going tomorrow for the hip xray and will hear back from her doctor in a week or so... MORE PRAYERS PLEASE!!!!

Reflux test for Bella.

2009-02-11T22:35:00.001-08:00

We took Bella to the Children's Hospital and they did the Upper GI xray test. She had to drink this barium mix and it looked nasty. I'm sure it tasted nasty which didnt make it easy for us to force her to drink it. In any case, she got enough in that they could see it and determine whether or not she has gastro-intestinal acid reflux. The doctor that was doing the test said she does but they will send a complete report to her pediatrician and we'll see what to do next. Keep praying that she gets better soon!

More cool giveaways

2009-02-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some more giveaways I found

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/babystealscom-giveaway.html

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/2009/02/slimperfect-giveaway.html

Cool giveaways

2009-02-03T12:59:00.001-08:00

More giveaways

2009-02-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

Here's another great giveaway:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5533197

http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/01/cale-company-design-handbag-giveaway.html

Giveaways!!

2009-01-26T23:45:00.000-08:00

I got the blanket I won today and it's absolutely gorgeous!!! And Bella loved it. She's already sleeping with it! :)

Here's more giveaways from the same website
http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/01/happygreenbee-review-and-giveaway.html

http://www.happygreenbee.com/index.cfm

http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/01/slimpressions-shapewear-review-and.html

http://www.slimpressions.com/index.html

If it's not one thing, it's another...

2009-01-25T11:53:00.001-08:00

Well, I thought Bella was starting to feel better with the antibiotics, but I just "discovered" she's teething. That explains the massive drooling, crankiness, and low grade fever... Can ANYTHING else go wrong?? Oh yeah, I'm PMSing and Billy's leaving for 4 days... that's just great! -- Said in my most sarcastic voice...

Sick again...

2009-01-22T19:31:00.001-08:00

We took Bella to her doctor this morning and she has a double ear infection. The left ear is pretty bad and she hasn't gained any weight since our last visit a month ago. She gave us a prescription for antibiotics. We are also switching from Zyrtec to Allegra to see if it works better. Still doing the nebulizer twice a day and that's fun - NOT!

This is her second ear infection in 2 months. Not sure why she's getting them, but we might go see an ENT doctor to figure out how to solve this for good! I just keep praying that she's healthy and happy!

2009-01-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I pretty much watched CNN all day :o The best part was watching President Obama and his wife dance. It was too cute! :)

I won a Blog Giveaway!!

2009-01-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

I was so excited yesterday when I checked my email and saw that I had won a super cute blanket for Bella in a blog giveaway. So, I decided to participate again :)

This is her blog -- Blog giveaway
And this is the company's site -- Hoohobers

Inauguration

2009-01-20T06:33:00.000-08:00

So, I've been up since 5:30 am because Bella woke up. After giving her some milk and rocking her, she felt back asleep. But of course I couldn't... arrrg... It's like I'm cursed! Once I'm awake it's so hard for me to fall back asleep. Well, I just gave up on trying and came out and turned on the TV to watch President Obama's Inauguration :)

Back from Monterey

2009-01-19T07:35:00.000-08:00

We had an interesting trip to Monterey-Carmel... Bella got sick Saturday night and was coughing so bad she'd wake herself up every 20 minutes. So, in total we slept about 3 hrs. Maybe less... Sunday, she had 102-103 fever and today it was around 101. Poor baby At least Billy and I are not sick anymore so we can take care of her. She also got a sore on her tongue so she's been cranky and not wanting to eat much. Plus her nose congestion... yiaks! I hope she feels better soon. She gets so whinny and needy and not in a good mood when she's sick. I guess I do too... lol

But the weather and the beach were awesome so we had a good time all in all with our friends. We also went to one of our favorite restaurants in Carmel and had some yummy food.

Feeling better and off to the beach

2009-01-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

It's been a rough week for our family. Billy started getting sick while we were still in Houston and hasn't recover completely. I got sick Saturday and just today I'm starting to feel a little better. I had a continuous headache for about 4 days!! I went to the doctor on Wednesday and I'm back on my Asthma medicines. Thank God Bella doesn't seem to have gotten whatever crud we had!

So, in celebration of our recovery and just because we love the beach and found out through weather.com that it's going to be SUNNY and in the 70s, we decided to take a mini-vacation to Monterey-Carmel. Gotta love California weather!! We were thinking of driving there and back on the same day, but found a really cheap hotel in Monterey to stay Saturday night!

To all my friends that are turning into little ice cubes, stay warm and safe! I'll think of you while I'm sitting on the beach, playing with the sand and sunbathing :) ok, ok, don't hate me. just thought I'd give you something to look forward to in the future ;)

Mooo...

2009-01-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

She has finally come out of her confusion and learned that COWS say MOOO!! LOL For the longest time, Bella has being saying that cows say "baa." All because she saw a Little People movie in which the animals were trying to imitate the other animals in the farm and they forgot who they were. The cow was imitation the sheep, the sheep was imitation the cow, the horse was imitating the chicken, and so on. Well, since then, every time I had asked her what the cow said, she would respond "Baa." But yesterday while we were in Sabbath School learning about the animals in the farm and zoo, I asked them "what does the cow say?" And she said "Moo"!!!! :)

More blog candy!!!

2009-01-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Check out this gorgeous site with baby products and more -- Layla Grayce
And they are having a giveaway at this site -- http://colleenstearns.blogspot.com/2009/01/layla-grayce-little-giraffe-luxe-faux.html

Blog Candy!! :)

2009-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here's some blog candy to share :)

http://lim-thevoicesinmyheadlimblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/hanglar-and-whipper-snapper-blog-candy.html

http://www.donkeysmiles.blogspot.com/

http://frugalmommyof2girls.blogspot.com/

http://everythingupclose.blogspot.com/2009/01/hip-t-review-giveaway.html

Home Sweet Home!

2009-01-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

We finally made it home at 1:30 am Wednesday morning. Bella woke up as we were going into the plane at 10:15 pm and didn't sleep at all the whole flight! My little night owl... She finally fell asleep as we were driving to Merced. We went to bed at 2 am and thought maybe Bella would let us sleep in... NOT! She woke up at 5 am (7 am Houston time) which is her "normal" wake up time. However, she took a FIVE HOUR nap from 10 - 3! WOW! I dont remember the last time she took that long of a nap, if ever! Poor little chiqui, she must have been *really* tired.

So, while she slept we cleaned and organized and Billy went to the office and picked up Mocha from the Scales home. She was really happy to be home too :) We also went grocery shopping since we didnt have any food in the fridge. We didnt think Bella would be ready to sleep because of her super long nap, but after eating some dinner and a quick bath, she passed out a little before 8 pm and slept a FULL night - 12 hours! :) Praise the Lord!!!

Well, she's taking a nap now so I better clean and organize some more :) I'm uploading pictures so I'll post some later today. Promise!

Waiting in Denver...

2009-01-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful flight from Houston to Denver. The person that was supposed to be on our row didnt show up so we had 3 seats in a row for us. Bella had her own seat and it was better than 1st class! Maybe not the seats, but being able to have a seat for Bella to sit up, sit down, play around, look out the window, etc. So that was AWESOME!!

Now we are at Denver waiting for our flight to Fresno and it has been delayed twice already (ETA: 3 times) ... arrgg I just hope that Bella sleeps THE WHOLE TIME!!! She's been walking around the gates, going up and down the stairs, and getting crankier and crankier... *sigh*

Update: Thank God Bella finally fell asleep. I put her in the stroller and walked up and down the terminal. The bad thing is that it's so loud and she's been coughing... I hope she's not getting sick. Cant' take any more sickness!!

Update: After waiting for almost 5 hrs our plane is finally taking off at 10:15 pm.

Happy 19th Month Birthday to Bella!

2009-01-05T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today Bella turned 19 Months!! We've enjoyed our time in Houston visiting our parents and Bella has loved beyond words playing with her uncle David and her grandparents! She went up and down the stairs a million times, went to the zoo with her grandparents and loved it, walked around the neighborhood and met some friendly neighbors, among other fun things :) I promise to post some pictures once we are back to Cali.

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

Billy and I drove back to Houston yesterday and right after we got home we sat down to watch the LSU vs. Georgia Tech game. Billy's family are die-hard LSU fans and my brother went to GT. So, I was trying to be impartial. However, LSU *crushed* GT with a final score of 38-3! Yiaks!!

At half time we drove over to a friend of my brother's house to eat dinner and received the new year. His family is Colombian and his wife's family is Mexican. It was really fun. We had a pinata, per Mexican tradition. And I ate 12 grapes and toasted per Colombian tradition. After we watched the ball drop in NYC (on TV), we played Wii and I beat everybody in bowling!! My score: 186 :)

We got home at 1:45 am, went to bed at around 2 am, and Bella woke up promptly at 5:45 am! So, all day I've been dragging and I was falling asleep by 8 pm when we were watching a movie. We were also going to go to the zoo, but went to eat at Olive Garden instead :) Our friends Gio and Catherine Marin came over and spent New Year's Eve and today with us and it was a ton of fun!! :)

Movies & Dinner

2008-12-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Billy & I have enjoyed our mini anniversary vacation. Today we woke up at 11 am, ordered room service for breakfast, went to the movies to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and had a wonderful dinner at Fogo de Chao - a Brazilian restaurant. And I was even able to drag Billy to TWO scrapbook stores :)

The movie was really good and sad at the same time. Brad Pitt is as cute as they get!! And the Brazilian restaurant was awesome and yummy! They had the most delicious different types of steak, salad bar, mashed potatoes, sweet bananas, cheese bread, and polenta (sort of like deep fried cornbread). And they also gave us a free cake for our anniversary.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-12-29T21:36:00.000-08:00

Today was our 6th wedding anniversary and, thanks to our wonderful parents, we were able to take a mini-vacation to Dallas. We drove yesterday from Houston and checked in a gorgeous Hilton hotel :) I got a great deal at priceline.com thanks to the suggestion of my neighbor Jenny. We are staying on the 15th floor and have a king size bed with super soft sheets! Gotta love it!!

Anyways, this morning we slept in until 10 am and then drove an hour to the Texas Conference office to interview with them. After that, we went to Macaroni Grill for dinner and a movie. We watched Marley and Me. Oh my gosh! It was such a sweet movie!!! I read the book 2 or 3 years ago and thought it was awesome. Of course I cried and laughed just like when I was reading the book. We also commented afterwards how funny it was to hear half of the theater sniffing in the sad parts.

Anyways, it's almost midnight so I better go to sleep. Gotta love being able to sleep in and not having to wake up to a baby crying and pulling your hair! ;) ***I still love you Bella***

Merry Christmas to All!!

2008-12-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! We've been having a good time in Houston despite my brother being sick and Bella not sleeping too good. We opened presents this morning and Bella played Santa :) Then, Billy, my brother and I went to the movies to see Yes Man. It was hilarious! Then came home and had a wonderful lunch - turkey included!!! YUM!! And then we watched more movies with the new Blu-Ray DVD player my dad got for Christmas. Band of Brothers, which we gave him for Christmas too, and The Contractor.

Tomorrow we are picking up Billy's mom from the airport and he'll be preaching at one of the churches on Sabbath. More updates later :)

Safe in Houston!

2008-12-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

We made it safe and sound to Houston after our plane from Denver was delayed about 2 hrs. Bella slept the last 10 minutes of the 1st flight and then slept for about 2 hrs in the airport. And then she didnt sleep AT ALL on the 2nd flight and she actually didnt fall asleep until about 2:30 am Houston time. TERRIBLE!!!! Of course she was up by 7:30 (CA time), which is her usual wake up time. Crazy girl!!! Now, it's 10:30 pm and Billy is still trying to make her fall sleep. My mom tried, my dad tried, I tried... no use! *sigh* Hopefully she'll adjust soon to this time.

She did do really well in both flights. She played around going from one chair to the next. Opening and closing the window and saying "WOW" when she opened it. It was so cute :) And while we were waiting at the Denver airport, she walked around for about an hour. She loved going on the electric walkways nonstop!

We also went shopping all day today to an outlet mall and I got some jeans and shirts!! Of course I got 10 times more clothes for Bella! LOL And we finally finished decorating the Christmas tree. Bella helped by passing the ornaments to my dad after I had put the little hook. It was so stinking cute and funny! I'll have to post a picture later.

Getting ready for vacation!

2008-12-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

We are 80% packed, Mocha is staying at the Scales house while we are in Houston, Yami is picking up our mail, and God will keep our house safe! We are driving to Fresno tomorrow morning and flying at 2 pm. We have a stop at Denver and I'm praying that we have good weather so the flight is not delay.

We are really excited about our trip and can't wait for Bella to see all her grandparents again. It's been 6 months already! We are also going to Dallas to celebrate our 6th anniversary! And thanks to my amazing shopping skills we are staying at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center (a 4-star gorgeous hotel) for $60/night :)

I posted a ton of pictures on Facebook if you want to see.

Bella's growing

2008-12-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

Billy took Isabella to the doctor yesterday while I was working for a check-up. She doesn't have an ear infection anymore. So that's great news! They also measured her and weighed her. She's in the 30th percentile on both - 31 inches long and 24 lbs. She's growing consistently and even had a little grow spurt :) Because she's had a fever on and off for the past 10 days we decided not to give her any vaccines this time, but wait until we are back from Houston.

Now we are packing and getting everything ready for our trip on Monday! We are excited to see our parents, my brother and for Bella to spend time with her grandparents again after 6 long months!

And now I leave you with a cute episode that occurred this morning at our breakfast table. We were getting ready to pray for our meal and usually Billy and I hold hands and kiss after saying Amen. Well, Bella always wants to get a kiss from each of us too. But lately she's been wanting to hold hands with us too. So this morning she extends her hand so I can hold hers and when she goes to extend her other hand so Daddy can hold it, she realizes she's holding her toothbrush. Don't ask, she's been obsessed with brushing her teeth lately. Anyways, without thinking it twice, she puts the toothbrush in her mouth and bites it, and then extends her other hand so Daddy can hold it. It was so cute!! Both of us just started laughing and she started laughing too.

A Family Dance :)

2008-12-16T21:44:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

First Ear Infection

2008-12-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

We took Bella to the pediatrician this morning and she has an ear infection from the cough/congestion. It's her 1st ear infection, which is strange since she's had so many colds. So, our little one is on antibiotics for the ear infection, Zyrtec and Singulair for the asthma/allergies, Tylenol and Motrin for the fever, and I have another prescription on hand in case her ear starts dripping guck! That's life right now...

We can stop the nebulizer for now, which is a blessing because Isabella hates it more and more everyday! As soon as she sees the ducky face mask she shakes her head and says no. Poor thing! She's only 18 months and has had so many illnesses and complications and tests...

So, please continue praying for Bella that she can feel better soon and for all of us to keep our sanity!

Happy 18th Month Birthday to Bella!

2008-12-05T19:49:00.001-08:00

Isabella is 18 months today. She weights about 24 lbs now and it's growing more and more everyday. She's been eating really good, loves to "read" her books out loud, is getting better at coloring and using the crayons, loves to watch Little People and Baby Einstein DVDs, and is developing a little personality of her own.

We also went to the allergist today and did her skin test for allergies. She did so good through out the testing. She got poked 20 times and didn't even cry. They are "little" pokes in sets of 5 so it wasnt' too bad. And then we had to wait 15 minutes for the skin/body to react. It turns out she's allergic to cats and cockroaches. I can understand cats, even though she has been exposed to them only once. But cockroaches?? The doctor said it doesn't mean we have them at home but that maybe she has had some airborne contact in other houses or stores. He also said she might be allergic to peanuts and tuna so we are doing a blood test to get more accurate results. So for now we'll continue giving her the Zyrtec and the nebulizer is kinda optional. I just hope she continues to get better and sleep well!

Two days in a row!

2008-12-03T23:48:00.001-08:00

LOL... I know, when it rains, it pours! So, here I am again... :)

We are taking Isabella to the allergist on Friday to have her tested. She's been on the nebulizer for over 3 weeks and on the Zyrtec (allergy meds) for well over a month. Maybe 2. Yiaks! I just hate seeing her sick. She's been feeling a lot better but she HATES the nebulizer. It's like an infant torture method. She cries and screams and kicks and pulls her hair and screams some more THE WHOLE 10 MINUTES we give her the treatment. Poor baby. We have tried everything under the sun. Put on a video, give her a toy, sing to her, hold her in different ways, etc, etc... nothing works! Anyways, hopefully this Friday the doctor will give us some good news.

Mocha has also been somewhat tortured. We decided to put her outside to see if it would help Bella's allergies. Well, she's been spoiled for almost 4 years and it's been rough on her! :( Hopefully the allergist diagnostic will also be good news for our little puppy :)

Vacation and Updates

2008-12-02T21:07:00.000-08:00

We decided to visit So Cal for Thanksgiving since our families live so far away and we are going for Christmas. We drove down Tuesday night and came back home last night. We drove at night so she could sleep in the car. We tried to keep her schedule somewhat the same (naps, feedings, etc) and she did really good. Our friends just loved her and Bella was so comfortable hanging out with them. We went to the beach in Malibu, Hollywood and all around LA. It was a lot of fun, even thought I didnt get to go shopping a lot for Black Friday... but I did get Bella a Christmas present! :) It was a great trip overall. We got to see lots of friends - Claudia & Mike Benggon, Eddie Vargas, Samuel Rodriguez, Ada Garcia, among others. And we got to meet some new faces too :) We didn't have turkey for Thanksgiving (which I had been craving) since most of our friends are vegetarians. Instead I bought a roasted chicken from Costco :) hahaha But it was great being able to hang out with people our same age and to do some sightseeing around LA.

Isabella will be 18 months in 3 days and we are enjoying her more than ever! She's such a happy baby now. She's a talker like her daddy and loves to pretend she's reading a book. I also got her some Little People DVDs and she's loving those! She is so cute and funny and I just love her to pieces! :)

Family Christmas Pictures

2008-11-19T21:35:00.000-08:00

We went to JCP to take our Christmas pictures and Bella was NOT in a good mood... :(

Still sick...

2008-11-09T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well, Bella's been sick for weeks and was getting better with the Zyrtec but now she's getting worst. She coughs and coughs and coughs. Poor little thing. Last night we were driving back from Mariposa church and she coughed the WHOLE HOUR drive :( We just dont know what to do. She was coughing just at night but now she coughs during the day too. And she wakes herself up at night because she just coughs, coughs, coughs... And last night she woke up at 3:30 and couldnt stop coughing. So I was up with her for about 30 minutes trying to help her go back to sleep. We gave her another medicine for cough suppressant but it doesnt seem to help much :( ugh ... and her appetite is way down too.

Anyways, if you are still with me, please keep Bella in your prayers. I just want her to feel better and be healthy!

And here's a picture of her :) Our little cutie :)

Celebration Dance

2008-11-06T08:31:00.001-08:00

President-Elect Barack Obama

2008-11-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

What a historic day it is today! Overcoming slavery, racism, social injustices and prejudices, the people have elected the first African-American man to become President of the United States and it's truly overwhelming.

He's a terrific speaker and his speech tonight was amazing. Reaching out to democrats, republicans and independents alike. Remembering his grandmother who died a day before the election and never saw her grandson become President. His speech was so inspiring and thoughtful. I really believe and pray that he'll be a great president and guide this country to prosper and serve its people and the rest of the world.

Election Day!

2008-11-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

November 4 is finally here and I'm anxiously waiting for the polls to start reporting. I had 2 nightmares last night that McCain had won. Ironically enough, I just hope my dreams don't come true! LOL

Billy voted this morning before going to his meeting at the Conference office and had to wait for almost 1 hour. But he didn't care.

American Prayer video

2008-11-02T21:52:00.000-08:00

Just a few days before the election and I'm dying for Obama to get elected president!! Here's a cool video I found online. Enjoy!

My Little Fairy Princess

2008-10-28T18:18:00.001-07:00

I took Bella to JCP for their Fairy Event and spent an arm and a leg buying pictures. But they were worth every penny cause they came out super super cute!!! :) These are a few of them. I hope you enjoy them!

Awesome Video by Obama

2008-10-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Videos of Bella

2008-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some videos of Bella. First saying "Papa", clapping, and pointing at her nose. Then, tickling daddy and pretending he's a horsey! :)

ETA: Sorry the second video is not uploading... will try later.

Pumpkin Patch!!

2008-10-19T23:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch. We got 2 pumpkins and a hay bail. Bella loved walking around the pumpkins, sunflowers, and even tried to pick up every pumpkin she saw! Enjoy them!! :)

Ultrasonic Ringtones

2008-10-14T21:30:00.001-07:00

You are about 20 years old

The teen repellent will no longer foil you, but you can still hear some pretty high tones.

The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 16.7kHz

Find out which ultrasonic ringtones you can hear!

Being sick sucks!

2008-10-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Bella and I have been sick for the last few days and so we've been pretty miserable... Billy was really busy this weekend with the end of the first evangelistic meetings at the Merced Church in almost 20 years. I believe over 40 people got baptized and more are studying and making decisions. So, we are very excited.

But that meant I was with Bella Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, almost all day. It was *rough*!!! She cried and whined and cried some more. Runny nose, coughing, cranky, and wanting to be held ALL THE TIME!!! Anyways, glad that's over!!

And the good news is we are both feeling better today!! :)